Fair Days

Have you seen my sister?
Seriously.
You need to check her out at Sea Level 320. Cheryl lives part-time on the coast of Puerto Rico and her bottles of shell and sea glass are beautiful--I know because she's shared some of her minis and glass with me. They hold places of honor on my shelf, right where I can see them when I'm thinking and procrastinating. She's doing a giveaway you don't want to miss--scroll down to September first's post. You'll love your scrolling stroll. She's a photographer. *wink* It ends soon so don't delay!

Going to the state fair is one of my favorite things to do in the year. This last weekend we went to the DuQuoin State Fair and it was wonderful. Loved it! I blogged about the highlights of our evening at the fair at The Barn Door today. All my favorite fair things. Can you guess what they are? Here's a sneak peek that didn't fit at the Barn Door...

The girls and I took a side trip while the boys hit the Illinois Department of Natural Resources tent on the pond for some casting. We went to the horse barn and look what we got to see:

The horse barns are one of my favorite places to visit at the fair. I remember going through the animal barns with my mom, as a kid. It's a big part of the fair for me.

This man saw us admiring a foal in a stall and he brought her out for us. What a treat!!

He told us all about the foal and her mother and the girls were able to pat her. They were in love.

Oh! My news! My favorite writing blog, Seekerville, hosted a Read Me! Contest and I entered--but I almost didn't. Sure am glad I did! I was a finalist! Not only that, but I was invited to send a partial in to my target, Love Inspired. Let me just say, I'm thrilled. I spent a very busy couple of days and I'm happy to report that my partial (first three chapters and synopsis) is in the mail. =)

I have wonderful memories of the fair. And my favorite was the animal.

I even won a Grand Champion in the baby animal barn with my gerbils. After years of eating their young (literally) they had a litter that survived. And had another litter while there that met the same fate. *ewww* Still have that purple ribbon crumpled up somewhere...

Congrats on your winning entry--glad you didn't give in to your fears. *roar*

Since Patty quit running from God's call on her life and surrendered her pen to Him, she's been happy. Life is never dull as she juggles being a wife, mom to a handful of kids and a couple of Capuchin monkeys, life on the road, and being a writer. As long as she's obeying God's leading, she figures that sanity is a novelty and not a necessity in the zoo she lives in. Patty clings to the promise that God will enable her to do what He asks of her, otherwise she would be living with the scaredy cats at the Funny Farm and not just occasionally visiting. You can find her on Instagram, too, where she daily sneaks in a few sane moments.